By Jenna Somers
Where can professionals from K-12 and higher education institutions, non-profits, private industry, and federal and local governments collaborate to learn from and with one another on how to strengthen their leadership within their respective organizations? The answer to that question may be found in the dynamic learning community of the online doctorate of education in Leadership and Learning in Organizations at Vanderbilt University.
Offered by Peabody College of education and human development, the online LLO program serves mid- and senior-career professionals who drive systemic improvements within their workplaces across various industries. "When people from different professions, career stages, geographic regions, ages, and backgrounds work collaboratively to solve real-world problems, the learning experience becomes transformational. Students are compelled to see ideas through a new lens," said Eve Rifkin, director of the online LLO program and senior lecturer of leadership, policy, and organizations.
The program integrates with the busy lives of adult learners while engaging them in highly collaborative learning to develop competencies in leadership and organizational development, data analytics, and learning and design. Student cohorts complete the 54-credit program over three to four years. Each week, they watch pre-recorded lectures at their convenience and attend online live classes, where they engage in structured conversations and solve problems as a class and in small-group breakout rooms. Students also attend three on-campus convenings, strengthening connections within their cohorts. In their final year, they complete a capstone project, collaborating in groups of two or three to address a problem of practice within an organization.
"Designing and launching the Leadership and Learning in Organizations program provided an opportunity to harness technology in service of the changing needs of adult learners and to expand access to a transformative Peabody education," said Catherine Gavin Loss, the program's primary architect, associate professor of the practice of leadership, policy and organizations, and associate provost for academic affairs.
Now in its eighth year, the LLO program serves more than 300 professional students across the United States and the world, extending Peabody College's impact and reach.
"Peabody's online doctorate of education represents our commitment to developing transformative leaders-especially those who reach the highest levels of success but who embrace the idea that learning and growth never stop and that they will always have more to offer as they enact systemic change and drive innovation," said Camilla Benbow, Patricia and Rodes Hart Dean of Education and Human Development.
The cohort community
The cohort model drives student success in the LLO program. Classes are designed to develop collaborative leadership skills and rapport among each entering group of students.
"One of the best parts of this program is the cohort model," said third-year student Jamie Lewsadder, an associate superintendent of technology services for La Canada Unified School District in California. "Course structures invite frequent breakout sessions, where we support each other's learning. We also meet in weekend study groups. There is so much to learn from the experts in our diverse cohort, and that has made the program so much more than coursework and classes. Through in-person convenings, our online relationships solidified."
Collaborative learning also reveals insights into students' leadership qualities and how students complement each other's strengths to complete group projects. Second-year student Tristan Gately-Sweatt, director of finance at Lakeland School System in Lakeland, Tennessee, said his team in the Analytic Approaches class divided duties based on leadership strengths. One member was an effective communicator with a knack for creating polished presentations, another was a natural project manager, and Gately-Sweatt, an economist, could spend countless hours sifting through data.
"We learn that there isn't one way to be a great leader. There are different types of leaders." Gately-Sweatt said. "But when you combine your strengths, you can make each other better and build meaningful relationships. I was pleasantly surprised that I have felt more connected to a community in this online program than I ever did in my in-person master's program."
Like Gately-Sweatt, second-year student Christopher Fults trusts in the knowledge and expertise of his classmates to fill gaps in his knowledge. As a senior facilitator at the Disney Institute, the training and advisory arm of the Walt Disney Company in Florida, Fults works in leadership development with executives who appreciate data-driven solutions. Fults loves telling stories through data, but he readily admits that math falls outside his comfort zone.
"That said, I could always jump into a breakout room with my fellow students and say, 'Hey, I'm not quite getting this concept, can you explain this to me?' I knew their strengths. They knew mine, and we have developed this level of trust where we are comfortable leaning on each other for help," Fults said. "You can't do a program of this caliber by yourself. Whatever formula Peabody uses to build cohorts, it's working."
The real-world impact of capstones
The program culminates with a capstone project that empowers student groups to help address a problem of practice within a partner organization. Capstone groups scope out a persistent problem, conduct original research, and report findings and recommendations for improvement.
One capstone group so fully embraced the ethos of the LLO program that they have formed their own consultancy service, Continuous Collaboration, inspired by the success of their capstone project. Gary Martin is a major in the Fort Lauderdale Police Department with 30 years of experience in law enforcement. Kristin Ornelas is an organizational psychology consultant and head of the leadership and development division at Live Nation in New York City. Mary Lou Song is a tech entrepreneur in California and a lecturer at Northwestern University.
"What I have really taken away from this program is the idea of collaborative leadership," Ornelas said. "It's not about any one of us individually, but the three of us together as a unit, building off each other's experiences, our trust in each other, and our commitment to the work."
Inspired by their roles as students in a highly collaborative remote doctoral program, the team decided to study organizational effectiveness within a fully remote company that creates a physical product. They partnered with the cookie company Sweet Loren's and attended the company's executive cookie summit last year to understand how the employees collaborate and resolve conflict. Then they held "empathy interviews" with employees across the company and reviewed research literature. By the end of their study, they had developed a remote-organization framework for Sweet Loren's that could be scaled to similar virtual organizations.
Tackling a very different problem, Lewsadder's capstone team has partnered with Children's Hospital Los Angeles to support a program for patients with chronic or complex health conditions as they transition from pediatric to adult medicine. Specifically, the team is studying how the hospital advises patients and families to prepare for the transfer of care. Elona Deprez, a healthcare fundraising and marketing executive, and Laura Farmer, a director of educational technology, are Lewsadder's student collaborators. They plan to combine their expertise in adult learning, pedagogy, and healthcare marketing and communications with lessons from the LLO program in improvement and evaluation, research design, and learning theory to help the hospital improve patient care.
The Sweet Loren's and children's hospital capstone groups were so committed to their relationships and to their collective success in delivering for their partner organizations that they voluntarily traveled around the country to visit each other in person. For many LLO students, these trips are the cornerstone of bonds that last well beyond graduation.
Immediate workplace applicability
From their first day in the LLO program students are encouraged to apply theory to practice. They often leave class and immediately use their workplaces as testing grounds for concepts they just learned.
The Designing Inquiry and Leading Improvement course honed Lewsadder's leadership skills during the Eaton fire in California, which affected many families and school district staff. The course helped Lewsadder think about organizational structures that shape outcomes as district employees worked together to help people who lost homes, safely reopen campuses, and consider short- and long-term learning impacts.
Lewsadder also applied teachings from the Organizational Theory and Behavior course to organize a training session on adaptive versus technical change for the district leadership team. The training helped the district uncover why particular problems were not getting resolved as expected.
Furthermore, LLO courses have served as laboratories for Lewsadder to test tools and theories to implement in the school district. She created an updated technology plan in response to generative AI, a student AI pledge, and a guide for discussions about generative AI with teachers and families. She also designed a long-term substitute teacher onboarding protocol, which she recently presented at a conference.
Like Lewsadder, third-year student Nafeesha Mitchell refined her leadership capacity as a chief of staff to the CEO of an education nonprofit. She helped her organization improve learning structures by analyzing skills and mindsets that contribute to or prohibit employee success.
"I explored deeper questions about the behaviors that manifested in what we were doing well and in where we had challenges," Mitchell said. "The program teaches you to parse through the noise of leadership and to think critically about datasets, practices, and policies that help you redesign elements of an organization to produce desired results."
For many veteran leaders, like Martin, the program also offers validation of their leadership styles. "It provided scholarly language to a lot of the things I was already doing, with ideas for how to build on those practices. It was a refreshing affirmation of my leadership, but I've also learned new ideas that help me see things differently in my law enforcement career," Martin said.
Supportive faculty leaders
As much as LLO students draw knowledge and support from their peers, they are equally inspired, challenged, and educated by the program's faculty members.
Matthew Campbell, capstone director and senior lecturer of leadership, policy, and organizations, encourages students to build the program's culture. Like many faculty, he offers students space and encouragement to connect with one another, and he also frequently meets with them outside of class to offer additional guidance throughout the capstone process.
"The faculty are great examples of leadership within the classroom, especially Dr. Campbell, who really took the time to get to know us and push us to pursue innovative ideas," Song said.
Faculty members are also mindful of students' abilities. They design lessons and projects that develop students' skills and allow students to apply those skills to new projects and concepts. For example, Daphne Penn, assistant professor of leadership, policy, and organizations, guides students through a mini-capstone project in her Qualitative Modes of Inquiry course. "It's always rewarding to hear students say that this group project has equipped them with the confidence and skills needed for their capstone work," Penn said.
Similarly, Shane Hutton, principal senior lecturer of psychology and human development, understands that the program's significant data analytics component may be intimidating to some students, but he reassures them that, "Learning statistics is like learning a new language. One of the best ways to learn a language is to converse using that language." During live classes, the floor is open for students to ask questions and discuss statistical topics.
Many students also appreciate faculty members like Xiu Cravens, professor of the practice of leadership, policy, and organizations, for her deep subject matter and research methodology expertise, and Rifkin for her endless encouragement.
Among faculty, the appreciation is mutual. "I love the students," Cravens said. "They come with such intellectual curiosity, rich life experiences, and valuable professional experiences. They are eager to apply what we are learning in class to improving their organizations and the lives of others. I am inspired by them and have learned so much from them."
Erin Henrick, associate professor of the practice of leadership, policy, and organizations, added, "It's rare to teach an Ed.D. class that has leaders from the military, medicine, education, and business all in one cohort. I appreciate the excitement and dedication that students bring to the online classes. This enthusiasm triples when they come to campus convenings! Those moments with the cohort in person on Peabody's campus are priceless."
Alumni perspectives
Joy Dettorre, EdD'22, Michael Hill, EdD'22, and Mautra Jones, EdD'21, say the LLO program was one of the hardest but most rewarding experiences of their lives because it challenged them to grow academically and professionally in ways they would have otherwise never thought possible. They maintain relationships with faculty and alumni and regularly recall lessons learned in breakout rooms and lectures that guide their leadership today.
Dettorre completed the LLO program as an international human resources manager at a Fortune 100 technology company. She now bridges industry and academia, fostering innovation and advancing education. She joined the LLO program because she wanted an educational experience that empowered her work as a practitioner and that encouraged her to immediately apply what she was learning in her daily work life.
"One of the most valuable lessons that I took away from the program was the importance of adaptive leadership," Dettorre said. "That is the understanding that effective leadership is not about having all the answers. It's about asking the right questions, empowering others, and navigating complex challenges with a strategic mindset. I applied this approach to addressing organizational challenges and launching new initiatives with a focus on long term success within my organization."
Like Dettorre, Hill constantly references teachings from the program in his decision making. He is the outgoing president of the Chautauqua Institution and incoming president of Randolph-Macon College in Ashland, Virginia. "All of that work plays heavily in the ways I've tried to create a strong culture at Chautauqua," Hill said. "The conversations with faculty and cohort members come up as I'm thinking through solving critical issues in my daily life."
Jones became president of Oklahoma City Community College shortly after completing the LLO program. She graduated in May 2021 and was named president in January 2022. "The program was lifechanging. It will open doors for you," Jones said.
OCCC serves a broad coalition of students-from traditional to non-traditional, those looking to upskill and others needing a foundational education. The LLO program's focus on data-driven decision making has given Jones the confidence to make the difficult decisions of a college president, with often little time to spare.
"I have to approach things from every angle, see situations through every lens, and ultimately make the best decision for the organization," Jones said. "The LLO program faculty always emphasized, 'What does the data say?' As president of OCCC, I ask that question every day for every decision."
When these alumni reflect on their program experiences, they are reminded of their duty to improve people's lives. "Leadership is a calling and a responsibility," Jones said.
On the last day of Dettorre's class with Dr. Campbell, he told his students he would be back and turned off his camera. When he returned, he was dressed in his full doctoral regalia from his Vanderbilt graduation. According to Dettorre, "It was more than a symbol of achievement-it was a call to action. He wasn't just telling us to look ahead; he was reminding us that earning a doctorate isn't the finish line-it's the beginning of our responsibility as scholar-practitioners."
"As students graduate," Campbell said, "I hope they realize how much they have learned, but also what they are compelled to do with that learning: to make systems better for people. I want graduates to feel a sense of accomplishment but also a sense that, 'Now the real work begins.'"
Beyond the rigorous learning experiences and opportunities for career advancement, perhaps the most striking facet of Peabody's online Ed.D. program is how it has shifted the way people think about online learning. According to Rifkin, "From the first time our students visit campus for their orientation to their commencement, LLO students know they are part of a community of scholar-practitioners that they will be connected to for many years to come. That is by design. At Peabody, we don't believe that students should have to choose between access to a high-quality doctoral degree and a strong, connected community of peers."
